Once each year the greater Saratoga, New York area plays host to the gathering of all things Franco-Automotive known as the Citroën Rendezvous brought to you by Drive She Said! This year marked the 39th annual gathering, with a bonanza of French cars descending the staircase of roadways from thousands of miles around for a extra long weekend of fun. Starting with a dinner on a Thursday, drive-in registration and roundup into the AAA-approved motel Springs Motel near downtown Saratoga on Friday, meandering out to a grassy show field on a Saturday, and wrapping up with a rally-style drive on Sunday the four day event was the place not only for those who drive French cars but also for those who might aspire to.
Devotion runs deep among adherents of Citroëns, Renaults, Panards, and Peugeots. French car fandom motors well beyond your average car fan stuff. The unique combination of adoration, knowledge, and enthusiasm is unmatched in the collector car world. This is not just about preference or brand loyalty. No, it goes beyond that. At the intersection of transportation, art, engineering, culture, motorsport, and design is the devotee who knows why the Citroën DS stands iconic and modern even six decades years after its world debut. The same person wonders how more people don’t know the joy of a Peugeot hatchback or who wouldn’t be forever happy with a Citroën 2CV Mehari.
The Rendezvous is a vehicle for this enthusiasm. An important facet of the event is to pass the torch for these not often seen yet always loved automobiles and the culture that surrounds them onto the next generation. This is not the first time Clunkbucket has been mixed up with a Franco-Automotive hootenanny. The last time around was a good continental divide apart geographically, but the enthusiasm in this crowd knows no bounds. Fans, owners, converts and believers find each other no matter the distance. Forty years of this rendezvous has to be right. Saratoga was wonderful and for a time this New York town famous for its waters and horses was instead the focal point for French motoring.
